Free I Shall Not Want by Debbie Viguié Page B

think of?”
    “I really don’t know what else to tell you. I think it’s ridiculous to view him as a suspect. He has no motive, and as I see it, he’s been one of the victims in this whole mess.”
    “The only human victim who is alive,” Mark pointed out.
    “Let’s hope he stays that way. If you ask me, you should have him, his house, and his dog under armed guard.”
    “What about the homeless who adopted dogs that day?”
    “I—I don’t know,” she admitted.
    “Let me know if you figure it out,” he said.
    They finished up their burritos, and Mark ran out of questions. They parted ways in the church parking lot, and Cindy walked back into the office.
    The phones were ringing, and there were four parents trying to pay Geanie the deposits for the camp. Thoughts of her conversation with Mark evaporated as she threw herself back into work.
    The next few hours flew by in a rush of noise and people and phones. At four-thirty things finally quieted down. She was able to get a few things done. It was almost five when her cell rang. Joseph.
    “Hi. I just thought you’d like to hear the update.”
    “Yes, what did you find out?”
    “Unfortunately, very little,” he said, sounding discouraged. “My jeweler confirmed that Clarice is still wearing the original collar.”
    “The diamond one?”
    “Yes, indeed.”
    “Okay, so if that’s what the thieves were after, they didn’t get it.”
    “Yeah, I guess. When I get home, it’s going in the safe, just to make sure, and I’m putting a plain collar on her. If they come back looking for it, they’ll at least leave her alone.”
    “Sounds like a smart idea. So what did the police say?”
    “That’s the really frustrating part. The lab guy said they couldn’t get any clean DNA evidence.”
    “Are you kidding? There was all that blood. It wasn’t hers. It couldn’t have been—” Could it have belonged to one of the puppies? That much blood, though, would surely mean that the puppy would be dead.
    “It wasn’t human blood or dog blood. It was some other kind of animal. They’re saying she must have tangled with something outside before we found her under the shed.”
    “I don’t believe that.”
    “Neither do I, but what can you do? Blood doesn’t lie.”
    “Are the two of you okay?”
    “Yeah, but we’re both anxious to get home.”
    “Okay, well, call me if anything else happens.”
    “I will,” he promised. “I’ll just be happy when the police straighten this out and the puppies are found safe and sound.”
    “Me too.”
    And in the silence between them, she knew they were both wondering if that would happen. The puppies might be dead. Even if they weren’t, they might never be found. She wasn’tsure she could live with not knowing, but she knew for certain that Joseph couldn’t. “Take care, okay?”
    “You too.”
    Cindy hung up. “That was Joseph. He got Clarice back,” she told Geanie. She glanced at the clock. Three minutes until five. She scooped up the papers in front of her and piled them in her inbox to deal with in the morning.
    “So what do you have planned for this evening?” Geanie asked as she shut down her computer.
    Cindy yawned. “I signed up to go to a timeshare presentation.”
    “Ooh, one of those ones where they tempt you with prizes and trips?”
    “Exactly. I think I’m going to bail.”
    “Why, you’ve got something else planned?”
    “Sleeping.”
    “Sleep during the presentation. That’s what my cousin did last year, and she won a trip to Hawaii.”
    “Hawaii is one of the prizes,” Cindy admitted.
    “See! You should go.”
    “You know, you’re right. It’s not like they’re going to test me at the end of the spiel.”
    “Exactly. Ninety minutes of your time, and you’ll at least get some kind of prize.”
    “You talked me into it,” Cindy said, shutting down her computer. Of course it has nothing to do with the fact that I can put off being alone with my thoughts about what’s